


Eye of the Storm

by SnowyDawn17, Theskittypink



Series: the vra!verse [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad ending Au, Established Relationship, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Other, Persona 5 AU, Phantom Thieves - Freeform, Spoilers, there's a happy end to this I swear, velvet room attendant!akira, vra!akira, wildcard!Ryuji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 13:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12037188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowyDawn17/pseuds/SnowyDawn17, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theskittypink/pseuds/Theskittypink
Summary: "What was your leader like?"“Remember how you used to think dad was, like, on a pedestal or somethin’? Untouchable, above everything - King of the World, ‘n’ all that? ...He was like that, but…”A warm smile greeting him. A soft, nearly silent chuckle.“But he reached out, an’ pulled me up with ‘im.”Akira Kurusu made one fatal mistake. With the rest of the Phantom Thieves scrambling to pick up the pieces, Ryuji finds himself caught up in a storm of emotion – and starts to have dreams of an unfamiliar room that is waayy too blue, and a familiar face that is waayy too pale."





	Eye of the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I draft the basic structure of the chapters as well as create the first drafts themselves. Snowy finalizes the writing and edits it. We both plan this.

Akira watched as the world flicked by like a slideshow. Sae was stretching forward as far as the table would allow, demanding information on someone, anyone, connected to the case. _Who sold you out? Who is the traitor!?_

 He was forgetting something important.

 A sharp knock. Sae checked her watch for the fourth time in the past minute. She had to leave. Another knock. She had more questions. He was forgetting something important. Sae had to leave. The door was swinging shut. Sae was gone.

 He was forgetting something important.

 Time passed: be it days or mere seconds, Akira had no way of knowing. What he DID know was Akechi was in the room. So was a policeman. The policeman was on the ground. Blood. Akechi had a gun. _I owe you for all this._ The gun was pointed at his head. _Case closed this is how your justice ends._  
  
He had forgotten something important.  
  
_Remember Your Bonds_  

Pain, and then

Nothing.

 

* * *

 

Several miles away, a man felt a sharp, desperate tug on his soul that made him fumble and drop the plate he was washing.

 

* * *

  

Akira Kurusu was the leader of the Phantom Thieves: fact.

Sae had finished interviewing him minutes prior: fact.

Akira Kurusu was dead: fact.

It felt like time had stopped when she managed to slip into the right spot and catch a glimpse of the body. Kurusu had been injured when she had seen him, true, but bastard cops or not, he hadn’t been _bleeding_. Not enough to stain his clothes, or the fabric of the body bag, at least. Certainly not enough to leave a splatter or two behind as he was moved.

_Suicide_ , she had heard. _Stole the gun off the guard_ \- a Watanabe, apparently - _shot him, then shot himself._ In any other situation, Sae might have let it drop. But she had been with Kurusu only moments prior. It seemed like the “truth serum” had been wearing off towards the end, but he had still been fairly out of it. Sae wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that he had been forcefully overdosed. Added to the injuries she could make out - and there were undoubtedly ones she couldn’t see - Kurusu had been in no condition to attack someone, mysterious Phantom Thief or not.

The fact that a single officer had been in the cell was suspicious as well. Watanabe had no reason to be in the room with Kurusu, and the boy’s reputation all but guaranteed that no one would enter alone. Which meant that a third party had been involved in the exchange - one who had escaped, unharmed and undetected, and left behind two corpses.

_No one would ever know if things got a little violent._

Sae often had tunnel vision. A great asset as well as a hindrance in her line of work. But just because she tended to focus on one specific view didn’t mean she was blind. And Goro Akechi had been anything but subtle.  He had said it himself. No others were incarcerated so far below ground. If Kurusu has died minutes after Sae’s departure, Akechi either ran into the murderer himself...or had been the one to pull the trigger.

She would have liked to believe in the former, even a little, but Sae knew the world wasn’t always fair. Akechi had not been the one to report the suicide, had not said a word about running into anyone, and was most likely saying nothing about his “interrogation” of Kurusu. He was a child, yes. But Sae had seen far too much to let that blind her. She didn’t know how, and most importantly, she didn’t know _why_. Going directly to Akechi was practically asking to be shot, sooner rather than later. So her next best bet was asking the people who had worked with him. The people he had betrayed. The Phantom Thieves.

Makoto.

> **SN:** We need to talk.
> 
>  …
> 
>   **MN:** I know. And I promise to explain everything as best I can, but right now you need to take care of Akira.
> 
>   **SN:** Kurusu? Why would I be taking care of him?
> 
>   **MN:** He’s with you, isn’t he?

It was at that moment Sae realized something had gone horrendously, inexcusably wrong. This was not a conversation to be had over text messages. She wished she could be talking to Makoto face to face, in the comfort and privacy of their home. But she’d much rather her sister hear this from her, blunt and soul-shattering as it may be, than from an indifferent newscaster. 

> **MN:** Sis?
> 
>   **SN:** No. He’s not with me.
> 
>   **SN:** He’s dead, Makoto.
> 
>   **MN:** _Makoto Niijima is typing…_

The line vanished and reappeared several times. Sae took advantage of the time to officially clock out and start heading home. It was a bit early, but God knows Makoto shouldn’t be alone right now.

Her phone buzzed.

> **MN:** what do you mean
> 
> **SN:** I’m on my way home. We’ll talk then.  
>    
>  **SN:** ...I’m sorry.

Makoto didn’t respond. Sae tucked her phone back into her pocket.

It was going to be a long night for both of them.

 

* * *

  

When Sae entered the apartment, Makoto was already seated at the table. Her back was ramrod straight, and while her clenched fists were hidden under the table, nothing could hide the small tremors that occasionally shook her whole body. Makoto’s head was bowed, and she didn’t raise it to meet Sae’s gaze when she took her own seat. Sitting across from her sister brought a bad feeling - it felt a bit too much like an interrogation, but Sae needed answers and Makoto needed a little distance. Regrettable, but…

Sae took a moment to truly look at her sister. Right now, she needed to be calm and collected. Later, though. Later there would be plenty of time for hugs and grieving. But now, she needed to know what was going on.

Makoto was the first to break the silence, and for a moment Sae wished she hadn’t. Her sister’s voice was quiet, and shaking with raw emotion Sae hadn’t heard since their father’s funeral.

“Is...is he actually…”

“...Yes.”

Makoto choked back a sob, the sound of which twisted Sae’s gut. “I...I didn’t think you would _lie_ about something like that but...but I couldn’t…”

“You didn’t want to believe it.” Sae finished for her as Makoto’s voice trailed off. Her head jerked in an almost-nod, the motion aborted in favor of stifling a fresh wave of tears.

Sae took a deep breath. “Makoto I...I know you’re upset, and I know this is difficult for you but… please. I _need to know what’s going on._ ”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, I just…” Makoto wiped away the last of the tears with the back of her hand, let out a last sniffle, and faced Sae with red-rimmed eyes.

“You assumed Kurusu would be with me. Why?” Sae already knew Makoto was one of the Phantom Thieves - there was no way for Kurusu to completely hide her identity in his testimony. He had still refused to sell any of them out, and Sae wholeheartedly believed Makoto would do the same. There was no point in questioning her about them. 

“We...we had a plan,” Makoto began hesitantly. “Akira should have explained most of what we’ve been doing. The Metaverse and-”

“Hold it,” Sae interrupted. “You honestly expect me to believe this whole...Metaverse nonsense?”

“I know it sounds outlandish!” Makoto exclaimed, hands tightening around her skirt hem. “I wouldn’t believe it myself if I hadn’t seen it, and even then…”

“Then show me!” Sae ran a hand through her hair, tugging slightly at the strands. “If this Metaverse is so important, then why can’t you just show it to me!”

“It’s not that simple! I want to, truly, but…” she took a steadying breath. “The only place I could show you right now is Mementos, but we’d have to go to the station for that. If we entered it here, I don’t know where we’d end up!”

“Well there has to be SOME way for you to prove this to me, Makoto! I want to believe you, I do!” Sae shook her head, hand falling back to her lap. “But you have to give me something tangible to work with!”

“I might not be able to take you to a Palace…” Makoto began, her eyes softening as she thought. “But….!” She turned to reach into her bag, which was looped around the back of the chair. Fumbling for just a moment, she reached into a pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Leaning over the table to offer Sae the phone, she continued. “I _can_ show you how we get there.”

 The phone looked the same as any other of the same make, sans the Buchi charm strap Makoto bought years ago. Centered on the screen, however, was an app unlike anything Sae had ever seen. It sat out of alignment with the neat rows Makoto had carefully organized, and gave off an unsettling vibe.

“That’s the Metaverse Navigator, though we typically call it the MetaNav or even just ‘the Nav’,” Makoto explained. “When you open it, and enter a name, location, and distortion, you’re taken to that person’s palace, if they have one. We also use it for smaller targets in a place called Mementos. People who haven’t developed a palace, but could in time if we let them be.”

Sae tapped the icon, and the eye grew to cover half the screen before fading out and revealing a simplistic layout waiting for audio input. It wasn't truly enough to convince her - as Makoto said, they had clearly been in the middle of some sort of plan, and this app could easily be part of some ploy.

“Akira’s phone has it, too - all of ours do. The MetaNav installs itself once you have entered and exited the Metaverse. It was….crucial to our plan, but…” Makoto faltered for a moment, eyes darting down to her hands. “Anyways, since our plan failed, there’s something else I need to show you.”

“And what would that be?”

Makoto took a deep breath before forcing the words out. “You were also a crucial part of our plan, possibly the most crucial step in the whole thing. Akira was meant to convince you to take his phone and show it to the traitor, which would trigger the rest of the plan and save his life.”

Sae’s brain stuttered to a halt. _She_ had been a part of their plan? The only Phantom Thief she had knowingly been in contact with was Kurusu, and he had mentioned no such plan. Even under the influence of the truth serum, he had made no hint of ulterior motive, or even hinted at planning his arrest. From the way Makoto had phrased it, it even sounded like… “He knew. All of you did, going into it.”

“...Yes, we did. We knew, well, not _everything_ , but close to it.” Then Makoto asked Sae to close the MetaNav and open another app, which played an audio file that confirmed all of Sae’s expectations and shot down her one fragile hope.

_“We could say he stole the guard’s gun and committed suicide during his imprisonment… How about that? Public security questioning will occur on the first day...and with that room, my task will be simple. Yes, the guard will be one of ours. We’ll have to eliminate him after to destroy the evidence though…”_

The audio had a slightly distorted tinge, but there was no mistaking that voice. This alone would not have been enough to condemn Akechi, but since Sae had passed him on his way to Kurusu’s cell...there was no mistake. Goro Akechi was the one who had pulled the trigger.

Dropping the phone and raising her hands to massage her temples, Sae could have laughed. “No wonder they kept complaining and rushing the interrogation… What a joke, letting me interrogate someone who was going to die…”

“They had to, to avoid backlash. It would be strange to forbid your interrogation with no excuse, and it would look too suspicious after...after he...d-died.” Makoto hunched in on herself, blinking rapidly in a failing attempt to hold back tears. “This case was never meant to be solved, Sis.” She reached across the table to take back her phone and pocket it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Sae slammed her hands down on the table. She felt a little guilty when Makoto flinched back, but everything else she was feeling quickly drowned it out. “You had time, clearly, if you drafted up some insane plan!”

“I couldn’t exactly walk up to you and say ‘Hey Sis I’m a Phantom Thief and I need your help to prevent an assassination’, could I?!” Her tears were openly falling now, and Sae was torn between a need to let her sister grieve and her desire for knowledge. It was Makoto who decided, brushing aside her tears - again - for the sake of explaining things to Sae. “Like I was saying, we had a- a plan. A-akira let himself be captured so we could t-trick Akechi into reveali-”

Both sisters jumped when a song began to blare from Makoto’s pocket. The lyrics ---  _It’s the Queen It’s the Queen It’s the Queen the Queen has arrived_ \- made no sense to Sae, but based on Makoto’s flustered expression, it was some sort of joke. Sae almost smiled. Makoto deserved a little happiness in such a bleak situation.

Then Makoto looked at the caller ID, and her face paled. A sharp inhale and shaky exhale. “I-I need to take this,” she said as she turned away and accepted the call.

“ _What_ have I told you about changing my ringtone?”

“ _Aww c’mon, it’s funny! Cuz you’re Queen-”_

“No, no- I. I get it.”

“ _Anywho, where’s Akira? Your sister never answered the call, and while I trust him in battle he can be a big klutz sometimes, y’know-”_

“Futaba, he…”

_“Aw c’mon, Makoto, don’t sound so down! Akira’ll be back up and at it in no time, once your sister gets her butt down to LeBlanc!”_

“H-he’s… Akira’s not c-coming, F-futaba. They...A-akechi...Akechi k-killed him.”

“...”

“F-futaba?”

_Click!_

_“Futaba!_ ”

Makoto stared at her phone in frustrated defeat, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. This “Futaba” - and Sae could only assume it was Futaba Sakura, though she knew she would never get confirmation - had shut Makoto out. Another Phantom Thief, and therefore another close friend of Kurusu.

Sae pushed herself out of her chair. Enough was enough. She knelt next to Makoto and pulled her into a hug.

“I...I need to text the others. We n-need to have a-a meeting, I, I need to let them all k-know-”

“Sssshhhhhh.” Sae rubbed her sister’s back gently, the same way their parents used to comfort them. The way Sae had after their father had died. She felt Makoto ease into the embrace, finally letting herself cry.

“S-sis, w-what am I….what am I going t-to tell them..?”

 

* * *

  

A cold breeze filtered through the alleyway as Ryuji stood in front of Cafe Leblanc. He had absolute faith in Akira and Makoto - Futaba, too, even if he didn’t understand half the shit she said. They’ve pulled off a ton of insane plans before, and this one was no different. If nothing else, Akira’s sheer stubbornness would pull him through - it was one of the reasons Ryuji loved him. He might be quiet, but once his mind was set, there was nothing that could stop him.

And yet. 

Ryuji would be the first to admit he wasn’t as smart as the rest of the team. But that didn’t mean he didn’t _notice_ things. He wasn’t Akira, who picked up on stuff even Morgana and Futaba missed in the Metaverse, but he could tell when something was _off_. ‘Specially with people. It’s the same instinct that got him between his mom and his-

No time to think on that, no need to put himself in a bad mood. Akira was coming back to them. He wasn’t gonna let some bad memories ruin that. Or a bad feeling. Even if it was a really, really bad feeling.

The bell chimed. Ryuji walked into the shop. Something was absolutely, undeniably _wrong_.

He had brushed aside how Makoto’s messages felt a bit...blank. Like she was saying words without really thinking about it, when she called them all to Leblanc. She was always a bit formal with her words, compared to Yusuke’s sprawling poetry and Akira’s short, but not unfriendly, replies.

Akira still hadn’t responded to the text Ryuji sent last night. Understandable - he was undoubtedly tired after everything. Probably just got to his bed and passed out without a thought.

Futaba was perched in her usual stool, tapping away absentmindedly at her laptop. She hadn’t responded at all last night either, if Ryuji was remembering right. Boss was washing plates in the sink behind the counter.

“Yo,” he said, waving a hand as if it would disperse the tense silence the rest were sitting in. Ann was sitting at the counter, a few seats closer to the door than Futaba. She waved with her signature smile, but there was something _off_ \- it wasn’t as bright as usual. Not as genuine. So she must be feeling it, too. He grinned back, but even he could tell it didn’t mask the worry in his eyes.

Makoto sat at edge of their usual booth; her gaze rose to meet Ryuji’s as he spoke. Her eyes were dark, and he could tell she was gripping her knees tightly from the tension in her shoulders. The bad feeling grew, and Ryuji could feel his heart start to sink. He stubbornly pushed it back up. Everything was fine.

Haru sat next to her, and Morgana had been facing the two of them and sitting on the table; he had titled his head to see the door as Ryuji walked in. Yusuke sat across from them, and Ryuji plopped down next to him while everyone else softly returned his greeting. Futaba’s typing trickled to a stop and she shut her laptop, turning to face the group with her hands wrapped around her knees. Ann swiveled her seat around and crossed her legs, holding onto the chair for balance as she leaned towards the table.

Makoto was firmly staring at a stain left by a drop of coffee on the tabletop. Haru reached out an arm to lay across her shoulders, slightly leaning on Makoto in a sort of side-hug.

 “There...there’s no easy way to say this.” Makoto’s voice was firm, but lifeless. “So forgive me for being blunt.” Her eyes squeezed shut. A sharp breath.

“The plan failed.”

The world fractured.

Ann was the first to respond, and she voiced the words Ryuji couldn’t find. “Makoto, what...what do you _mean_ , the plan failed?”

Makoto was curling in on herself, staring blankly at that one tiny stain. Refusing to meet their gazes. Her voice was as dead as her eyes. “Akira’s dead.”

The world shattered. And so did Ryuji.

His breath caught in his throat. He wasn’t sure if the blurriness in his eyes was due to lack of oxygen or tears. Everything was static. His leg was breaking again but this time it was his whole body, it was his heart his heart his _soul_ was shattering and he was speechless, for the first time in a long time he was truly and utterly speechless, she was lying she was lying _she was wrong Makoto’s never wrong SHE WAS WRONG SHE_ **_HAD TO BE WRONG_ **

“Wh- Inconceivable.” Yusuke’s fingertips had gone white, and a very distant part of Ryuji’s mind wondered if the other boy would be able to break the table. Haru had frozen, her arm hovering slightly above Makoto’s shoulders, torn between comforting her friend and comforting herself. Morgana’s claws skittered across the table; the thick lamination common in restaurants was all that kept the (non)cat from making deep gouges in the old wood. A glass shattered in the kitchen - Sojiro muttered something about it being the second one, but no one really heard him. Futaba’s face was hidden behind her knees, her glasses pushed to her forehead in the movement. He couldn’t tell through the static but he was pretty sure she was crying. Ann was openly tearing up, the drops landing on her shirt as she leaned back on the counter for support and stared at nothing. Makoto was still staring at the stain.

Ryuji swallowed, and fought back the empty static. “Y-you’re….you’re shittin’ me, right? Makoto?”

“Why would I lie about this?!” Her voiced cracked, and Ryuji belatedly realized the unfazeable Makoto was moments from breaking down. When Ryuji looked down at his clenched fists, he realized he already was.

"Its Akira," he snapped back, trying to keep his voice steady,"He's not the type to just up and die." Makoto looked down at the table, lower lip beginning to tremble.

“O-okay.” Haru took a shaky breath, and squeezed Makoto’s shoulder. “Okay.” The heiress made eye contact with each member of the team in turn. The deep-simmering fire lit her gaze, pulling Ryuji - and likely everyone else - out of their heads, if just a little. Makoto was even looking away from her stain. “Where shall we go from here?”

“Wh- wait a second here!” Ann cried, almost falling off the stool in her outburst. “You can’t just- you can’t just drop something like that and expect us to move on!” She spared a glance towards her fellow blond. “Y-you can’t just-”

“I am _not_ asking for us to move on,” Haru replied, her face tightening. “I am asking for a plan-”

“Well how about a few days to _process_ all of thi---”

“Haru’s right.” Makoto cut through the argument before it could escalate further. “We need a plan of action. We can’t...we can’t just stop now.”

“Yes, you can.” Sojiro was wringing the towel in his hands, a release of nervous energy as well as drying his hands. He let out a sharp sigh. “Stopping has always been, and always will be, an option. You kids are in way too far over your heads!”

“S-sojiro…!” Futaba whispered, tear tracks shining in the cafe light. Her head had popped out of hiding when Sojiro spoke, and it allowed her to curl further into a ball once his words registered.

“I told you two to be careful! I told you not to take on things you couldn’t handle! But you didn’t _listen_ , you kept pushing and _pushing_ and, and now-!” He grit his teeth and turned his back to the group. Sojiro walked back to the sink and hung the towel on the rank before hunching over the dishes once more, though Ryuji couldn’t hear the rush of water. Sojiro’s shoulders were shaking.

They sat in silence.

“It’s all _my fault!!_ ” Futaba scrabbled at her head desperately, tugging at hair and scraping against skin. “If it wasn’t for m-me, then- then he wouldn’t have been _near_ that room---!” 

Makoto nearly fell into Haru’s lap in a sudden surge of movement, red eyes coming to life at the start of what Ryuji could tell was going to end up as an epic back-and-forth of self-blame. Not that he could blame ‘em - he felt the same, and he had hadn’t done more than sit back and keep his mouth shut.

“All of you, stop it!” Morgana yowled. Ann had moved to stand behind Futaba, hugging the younger girl - who was as close to a ball as humanly possible, an impressive feat while balancing on a Leblanc bar chair - while Haru had wrestled Makoto back into her seat.

“We all agreed to this plan - Akira too! We all knew the risks!” Morgana was pacing around the table, tail lashing behind him. “We all did the absolute best we could - and thinking about ‘what-ifs’ and ‘if-onlys’ won’t help us, and it certainly won’t bring Akira back!”

“I…” Makoto frowned. “Morgana...Morgana’s right. According to what my sister said… after the arrest, things truly went beyond our control. When Sis finally got the chance to talk to him, he could barely string a sentence together - she’s still not sure if the confusion was due to a concussion or an overdose.”

Ryuji’s blood froze. Ann said something, but she was too far away. Makoto must have replied; her mouth was moving, but there was no sound. All Ryuji knew was the rushing _badum_ of his heart straining against the ice.

Concussion.

_Overdose_.

And Sae couldn’t even tell which _one_ \- which meant Akira’d been beat black and blue _and_ shot up. And confused - Akira was _confused_. About what? Had… had he forgotten the plan? Had they messed him up so bad that he didn’t remember they were waiting for him? 

_Did Akira die thinking they had abandoned him_?

“But if- if it wasn’t for me h-he wouldn’t have even BEEN there!” Futaba screeched, trying to fight off Ann’s hug in order to pull at her hair again. “If-if I hadn’t relied on the phone he- he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t b-be...he wouldn’t be _dead_!”

Everyone flinched. Futaba used the opportunity to curl into herself and crossed her arms on top of her knees, shoulders heaving as she wailed and sobbed. Ann bit her lip and attempted to reach out again, but she couldn’t find a good angle to go in for another hug. In the end, she leaned against the counter and put her arm over Futaba’s shoulders as best she could.

 “It was just as much your plan as mine, Futaba. And we _all_ agreed it was the only option we had - Akira too.” As she spoke, Makoto ran her sleeve over her eyes. Haru released her grip on the other girl’s shoulders, and folded her hands in her lap.

“If I may,” Haru said, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. “I believe that our best course of action, as of right now, is piece together what information we’ve gathered to identify the mastermind.”

“‘Scuse me, _what?!_ ” Ryuji stood and slammed his hands down halfway across the table. He ignored how Haru flinched back, and he ignored how Makoto and Yusuke quietly hissed his name.

Haru took a steadying breath, and though her hands still lay loosely in her lap, her knuckles were white. “We have to plan our course of actio---”

“ _Plan_ our _course_ !? I dunno if you’ve _noticed_ , _Noir,_ ” Ryuji stretched out the nickname, emphasized it. “But our _Leader?_ My _boyfriend_ !? Is _dead_!” He let himself fall into his seat and crossed his arms, and suddenly understood Futaba’s desire to curl up in a ball and hide from humanity. Sadly, the booth was too small for him to lay on his side, even if he did curl up - especially with Yusuke sitting next to him. 

Oh, hell. Yusuke was sitting next to him. _Yusuke didn't know._ They’d never gotten around to telling Makoto or Haru, either. _Shit._ It wasn't that Ryuji was expecting them to _do_ anything, but. Well. Old habits die hard. He couldn't raise his head to meet their eyes. Oh god what if- 

_“_ Will you all _calm down_ , jeeze!” Morgana whisked his tail around to his side as he sat in the center of the table, calling their attention. Though he looked calm, his ears flicked with agitation. Ryuji never thought he’d be so relieved to see an annoyed Morgana. “Akira wouldn't want us to tear ourselves apart over this!”

In Ryuji’s peripheral vision, he saw Yusuke nod. “Agreed. We… can mourn later - for now, we must ascertain that our efforts weren’t for naught.” Everyone seemed to turn away, and Ryuji risked a glance. They had all turned to face Ann, who was rubbing Futaba’s back in small circles.

The youngest member of the Phantom Thieves was no longer shaking with the effort of sobbing, but she remained curled in a ball. Ann leaned over and whispered something - Ryuji couldn't make it out, even though the cafe was dead quiet - and at her prompting Futaba reluctantly unfolded. Without a word, she spun her chair around so she faced the counter and pulled out her laptop.

“Futaba, did you---”

“Yeah.” Makoto was taken aback by Futaba’s blunt tone, and closed her mouth after a second of hesitation. “Af-after the, um, after everything… went down, Akechi called someone - he didn't say the full name, and I couldn't hear the other caller, but…” She took a moment to breathe. “Akechi called them ‘Shido-san’.”

Makoto frowned and curled a finger near her lip, thinking. “Shido-san…?” 

“Shido!? Do you mean _Masayoshi_ Shido?!” Ann and Futaba, closest to the counter, jumped in surprise when Sojiro unexpectedly rejoined the conversation.

“Masayoshi Shido…?” Ann repeated. “It sounds...familiar, but I can't place where…?”

“He’s...a politician, correct? He’s been on the news a lot recently, and is expected to do well in the upcoming election for Prime Minister,” Makoto answered. “He gained a lot of public support because he’s spent the past few months denouncing the Phantom Thieves, and, well…”

Sojiro scowled. “That’s right. I knew him, uh, at my old job. Always suspected he was involved, but I could never piece it all together.”

“Involved?” 

“With the theft of Wakaba’s research, and her… murder. The thing is, I didn't have any evidence, or even a way to stand against him. So I did what I could - I got Futaba out of there and hid myself in the backstreets.”

“Wait, so… he’s been causing _mental shutdowns_ in order to boost his own image?!” Ann said, causing Futaba to wince at the sudden loud noise.

“He _is_ in a position that would benefit from all the chaos being caused…” Haru added.

“Only one way to find out, ain't there?” Ryuji said, pulling out his phone. He knew that what he said earlier wouldn't be brushed over easily, and having everyone’s eyes on him kicked that age-old anxiety back into gear, but someone had to do it.

As the MetaNav opened, Ryuji chanced a glance around the room. Everyone, sans Sojiro, was watching his phone. Not him. He swallowed. “Masayoshi Shido, the guy runnin’ for Prime Minister!”

_“Candidate Found.”_

“Success! Well, it only makes sense, considerin’...” 

“We still require the location and distortion before we can celebrate,” Yusuke said.

“The location will probably be easier to guess,” Makoto suggested. “A place a politician frequents...the National Diet Building?”

“ _Candidate Found.”_  

Futaba snorted. “Of course the murdering bastard is arrogant enough to see himself as the ruler of national politics.”

“The distortion will probably be a lot more difficult for us,” Morgana said. “After all, we know nothing about the guy, much less how he views the world. Unless…” Morgana turned to face Sojiro, and the rest of the team followed suit.

“...What?”

“Boss, how well would you say you knew Shido?” Haru asked.

“How well did I know him?” He scoffed. “I know he’s an ambitious jackass. Always ran around saying he'd be Prime Minister one day - not that anyone believed him. Always going on about how the country was going off course, all the usual junk politicians say during election speeches. I haven't paid attention to him in _years_ \- no doubt he’s changed enough that any more information I have is outdated and useless to you all.”

“Well, thanks for trying?” Ann said.

Sojiro sighed. “If I was _really_ trying to help you kids, I’d be doing my damnedest to stop you. If he figures out who you are, he’ll, well…” His voiced tapered off for a moment, and then it gained a hard edge. “He’s always been like that. Just...be _careful_ , ok? I don't…” A sigh. Sojiro turned his back to them, and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. “Don't let him down, y’hear?”

Nods of agreement, from all of them. They _would_ avenge their leader. 

“Um, before we disband,” Haru said. “There are two things I think we should address. First, we are all in agreement that Masayoshi Shido is an acceptable target, yes?”

“Oh, _hell_ yeah!” “Certainly.” “Uh-huh!” “Yes.” “Absolutely.” “It’s unanimous!”

“Excellent!” Haru clapped her hands together, and then turned to Makoto. “Secondly, I believe we should...we should elect a new leader.”

Ryuji wanted to scream.

“M-me?!” Makoto squeaked.

They’re replacing Akira they’re replacing _Akira_ they’re _replacing_ Akira _they_ are _replacing AKIRA_  

“As the team’s strategist, it is only natural that you would lead us now,” Yusuke said. One by one, the rest of the team voiced their approval. And then they all turned to look at him.

“Ryuji?” And there it was, in Ann’s eyes - he could feel the pity weighing him down from all the way across the room. He grit his teeth.

“S’fine with me.”

“V-very well, then.” Makoto brushed a lock of hair behind her ear before making eye contact with all of them. “From now on, I will do my best to act as your leader. I promise.”

“I'm sure you will, Mako-chan!”

Makoto blushed. “A-anyways! It’s getting pretty late - I think we should all head home for tonight, and meet here tomorrow after school. If that’s alright with everyone?” Everyone agreed - Ryuji could've sworn he heard Sojiro mutter something about being forced to close up the cafe again, but if the older man had any strong complaints he didn't voice them. “Good.”

Yusuke was slow to stand, but once he could Ryuji shoved himself out of the bench. Haru called after him, but he didn't turn back. “I’m just, uh. I'm just gonna...go. See ya tomorrow.”

He let Leblanc’s bell ring and tried to not look like he was running away.

 

* * *

 

Ryuji made his way through the train station in a daze. He might’ve bumped into a person or three on the way, but, well. Nothing was really registering. Not until he pushed open the door to the apartment he and his mother lived in. He hadn’t even thought about how he’d fake it around her -- he’d have to spend the rest of his life _lying_ to her. He’d have to pretend, every day, for the rest of his life.

He called out a greeting as he swung the door shut and began pulling off his shoes. For years, it’d been a game between him and his mom, seeing who got home first. She worked pretty late, and Ryuji had picked up the habit of evening jogs while on the track team. Then things had happened, and…

She was usually home first, nowadays.

Ryuji was expecting his mom, yes. Probably on the couch - she loved adventure novels, and more often than not she was in the middle of one when he found her. The sight of her, curled up with her favorite story and a mug of tea, was a familiar one. A comforting one. So when he turned to see his mom standing in the entryway behind him, red face blotchy with tears and a crumpled piece of paper in her hands, he was understandably surprised.

Ryuji had half a second to wonder why the universe seemed to hate his family before his mother was suddenly _there_ , arms squeezing the air from his lungs and dark hair flying into his face. “Wh-Ma? Ma, what’s- what’s wrong?”

“I-I- I was so _worried_ !” She squeezed even tighter for a second - Ryuji had to wonder how his ribs weren’t creaking in protest - before releasing him, though she kept a tight grip on his shirt. She was crying again. “It was all over the news, and - and I was just so _scared_ because I didn’t _know_ and-”

“Ma - Ma!” He lightly took hold of her hands, balled into fists around his t-shirt, and desperately tried to piece together what was going on. “Let- let’s uh, let’s move out of the doorway, first, ok? Ok.” So he guided her to through the short hallway to the living room and the couch - and there _was_ a book Ryuji recognized sitting on the table  - where they both sat.

“A-alright, Ma, can you…” Ryuji sighed. Words weren’t his strong suit - never had been, never will be. “What’s wrong?”

She took a moment to try and compose herself, attempting to wipe the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “It-it’s been all over the news, and I didn’t _know_ , I should’ve talked to you about it sooner, but you were just so _happy_ and I didn’t- I _couldn’t_ risk ruining it!”

“Woah, woah, slow down a sec!” There was no way. No effin way. “What was on the news?”

A sad smile. “You can’t hide things from your mother, Ryu-kun.” She reached for his hand and pressed the crumpled paper - the _red_ crumpled paper - into his hand. “First that... _monster_ at Shujin, and your new friends. Then that artist boy you mentioned, and…” Her curly hair bounced as she shook her head. “If anything, this only confirmed what I already knew.”

With hands that were absolutely _not_ shaking, thank you very much, Ryuji carefully unfolded and smoothed out the paper. The side facing him was nearly blank. It was a bright, solid red, and  dotted with shades of grey - various newspapers, cut apart and cobbled together to form the frames of a message he had written months ago. Swallowing, Ryuji flipped the card - and was greeted by one of the earliest drafts of the Phantom Thieves logo. One that he remembered balling up and tossing into the garbage, caught in a whirlwind of anticipation, nerves, and frustration. He met his mom’s eyes.

She was tearing up. “I’m...I’m sorr-”

Ryuji hurled himself at his mom, hugging her fiercely. “ _No_ . Don’t- don’t apologize for this, Ma. This, this had _nothing_ to do with you. This was all me- well, us.” He let go of the hug, but kept his hands on her shoulders. “And- and things might’ve gone to shit, but… I will _never_ apologize for this. We’ve really helped people, y’know? And, and we’re still _gonna_ help people, we, we aren’t gonna stop- we _can’t_ stop now, even- even if…”

She reached forward and brushed away a tear with her thumb. Ryuji hadn’t even realized that her soft, sad smile had gone blurry. “I’m here for you, you know. I’ll always support my little boy.” He couldn’t bring himself to complain about being called her “little boy” - he certainly felt like a little kid, lost in the realization that the world was a little too scary sometimes. “Hey, Ryuji…”

“Mm? What?”

“What was he like?”

 

_“I should’ve fought them.”_

_“What?! Dude, no!”_  

_“They deserved it, though.”_

_“They’re just mad at me, nothin’ to be_ concerned _about-”_

_“I don’t like when people are rude to my friends.”_

_“Doesn’t it piss you off?”_  
_  
_ “Hm?”

_“All those crazy rumors ‘bout you flyin’ around at school. Don’t they bother you?”_

_“Mm, not really.”_  
_  
_ “So, what? You’re willin’ to fight an entire ex-sports team cuz they insulted me, but you’re gonna let all that bullshit go?”

_“Well, do_ you _think I’m a crazed murderer just as likely to sell you drugs as I am to stab you in the gut with a hidden knife?”_

_“Well, no, but-”_

_“Then that’s all that matters.”_

_“...Does it count if I know where you keep your knives?”_

_“Asshole.”_  

_“C’mon, y’know you love me!”_

 

_“Joker! Behind y-”_

_“Don’t just stand there!”_

_“_ SKULL! _”_

_“Skull’s out! Someone help him!”_

 

_“You...you can’t just DO that!”_

_“What, save your life?”_

_“Ryuji!”_

_“I’m not gonna apologize for it- you’re the leader! If you go down-”_

_“If anything ever happened to me, you guys would be able to deal with it! I’m not any more important than the rest of you!”_

_“Uh, you kinda_ are? _You’re the LEADER, and you’ve got that multiple Persona thing goin’ on - the team wouldn’t be able to function without you.”_  

_“I’m sure you’d all find a way-”_

_“Listen. I get you’re worried ‘n’ all, but - I’ll_ always _take a hit for you, dude.”_  

_“That’s what concerns me.”_

 

_“Hey, this ain’t like me, but...thanks, Akira.”_

_“Huh?”_  

_“I got you all wrapped up in my personal shit - we were s’pposed to be trainin’, but-”_

_“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m always glad to help out.”_  

_“I know you are, but, seriously. Thank you. You… didn’t abandon me. Haha, man, how’d we end up like this?”_

_“Fighting demon monstrosities in the heart of society is a pretty good way to make friends, I guess.”_

_“Akira.”_

_“You could say we’re…”_

_“AKIRA.”_

_“Thick as thieves.”_

_“...”_

_“What? I thought that was a good one.”_

 

_“As long as I’m bein’ myself, I’ll always have a place to belong. It ain’t really the same place as before, but it’s damn good.”_

_“And where’s that?”_  

_“Aw, c’mon, man. Don’t make me get all sappy!”_

_“Ryuuuujiiiiii~”_

_“Fine, fine! Calm down, will ya? Haha, man. I dunno how to say this, but… when I’m with you? Everything feels...electrified. You make me feel free in a way that… that running didn’t.”_

_“Aww, has the Famous Shujin Delinquent caught some_ feelings _~?”_  

_“Cut it out, man! I’m serious! You ever need anything, and I mean_ anything _, you tell me. Okay?”_

_“Anything, hm?”_  

_“Akira, dude, don’t make it weird.”_

_“Well, there is_ one _thing I can think of…”_

_“Oh, really? Well, I’m all ears.”_

_“...”_

_“...?”_

_“Sakamoto Ryuji, w-would -_ ahem _\- would you be willing to go on a date with me?”_

 

_“Hey, ‘kira.”_

_“Mm?”_

_“...Are you scared?”_

_“...”_

_“An’ don’t try ‘n’ play the big tough leader card on me.”_

_“...If I’m being honest? Ha, I’m_ terrified. _There are a million things that could go wrong, a million things that we can’t hope to predict-”_

_“Hey. Quit worryin’ so much.”_

_“I- I can’t just_ not worry _, Ryuji, everyone’s lives are on the line here!”_  

_“That’s not what I’m sayin’. I know you’re the thinker, between the two of us, but - you trust me, yeah?”_  
_  
_ “Of course.”

_“Well then, quit worryin! I believe in you - and so does everyone else. Ain’t that enough?”_

_“...Yeah.”_

_“Ha, see? Even I can be right every once in awhile!”_

_“...”_

_“Hey!”_

_“Good_ night _, Ryuji.”_

_“‘Night, Akira.”_

 

“Remember how you used to think dad was, like, on a pedestal or somethin’? Untouchable, above everything - King of the World, ‘n’ all that? ...He was like that, but…”

_A warm smile greeting him. A soft, nearly silent chuckle._

“But he reached out, an’ pulled me up with ‘im.”

Light blurred into darkness as his mom pulled him in close and his forehead collided with her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Ryuji. Everything’s going to be okay.”

He let out a noise somewhere between a strangled sob and laughter. “No, Ma. It...it’s really not.”


End file.
